In Spanish, “things” does not have a gender and is considered neuter.
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In Spanish, all nouns are gendered as either masculine or feminine, with the corresponding articles “el” or “la”. However, the word “things” does not have a gender and is considered neuter. This is because “things” refer to non-living objects or concepts that cannot be gendered.
According to the SpanishDict website, “neuter nouns don’t change form based on gender, so they only have one definite article (el or la) and one indefinite article (un or una).” For example, the Spanish word for “thing” is “cosa” and it always uses the masculine article “el” regardless of the gender of the noun it is referring to.
Interestingly, some Spanish speakers may use the masculine article “el” for objects they consider to be “strong” or “dominant”, regardless of their gender. For example, the Spanish word for “bridge” (puente) is a masculine noun, but the feminine article “la” is sometimes used by speakers who perceive bridges as delicate or fragile.
In summary, in Spanish, “things” do not have a gender and are considered neuter. As one Spanish language resource explains, “Los sustantivos neutros pueden ser nombrados, aunque no siempre con exactitud, como aquello que no tiene vida ni género.” (Neuter nouns can be named, although not always accurately, as those things that have no life or gender.)
Table of Spanish Gender Rules:
Gender | Examples |
---|---|
Masculine | el perro (the dog), el libro (the book), el árbol (the tree) |
Feminine | la gata (the cat), la mesa (the table), la manzana (the apple) |
Neuter | el agua (the water), el calor (the heat), la cosa (the thing) |
As famed Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes once said, “La pluma es lengua del alma.” (The pen is the tongue of the soul.) And in Spanish, it is important to remember the gender rules for nouns in order to effectively communicate and express oneself in writing and speech.
Watch a video on the subject
The video explains how to determine if a noun is masculine or feminine in Spanish by providing examples of common nouns and their corresponding gender. The importance of knowing the gender of nouns is emphasized, as it affects the correct use of articles and sentence structure. The video also provides tips on identifying the gender of a noun, such as certain words that can imply gender, but ultimately suggests memorizing the gender of common nouns as the best method for Spanish learners.
Some additional responses to your inquiry
Spanish gender rules
- If a noun is singular masculine, it starts with el. For example, the boy → el niño.
- If a noun is singular feminine, it starts with la. For example, the girl → la niña.
Although it is seldom possible to predict with certainty whether a given Spanish noun is of masculine or feminine gender, Spanish has numerous guidelines that can usually be followed. Nouns ending in -a, -ción, -ía, or -dad are usually feminine. Nouns ending in -o, an accented vowel, -or, or -aje are usually masculine.
In Spanish, every noun has a gender. They’re either masculine or feminine. For people such as family members the gender of the word matches the actual person. Madre is feminine and padre is masculine. Most masculine nouns end in -o, like hermano, meaning ‘brother’ and most feminine nouns end in -a, like hermana, meaning ‘sister’.
As a general rule, we recognize the gender of Spanish nouns by looking at the word’s ending. Masculine words usually end in the vowels E or O like PADRE and MAESTRO, whereas feminine words end in the vowel A such as HERMANA and CASA.
Rules for Noun Genders in Spanish
- 1. Nouns that end in “ o ” are masculine
- 2. Nouns that end in “ a ” are feminine
- 3. Some male-associated nouns are feminine and vice versa
Also, individuals are curious
- Generally, words ending in -A: la silla, la manzana, la mesa.
- Ending in -CIÓN, -SIÓN, -ZÓN: la canción, la pasión, la razón (exceptions: el corazón, el buzón)
- Words ending in -DAD and -TAD: la felicidad, la amistad, la verdad.
- Ending in -EZ and -TRIZ: la vejez, la actriz.